Five Kansas schools have been designated 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools, U.S. Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona announced Tuesday, Sept. 21.

The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. The National Blue Ribbon School award affirms the hard work of educators, families and communities in creating safe and welcoming schools, according to the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C.

There were 325 schools across the country designated as 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools, including the five in Kansas.

Kansas schools that received the designation are Grandview Elementary School, El Dorado Unified School District 490; Ellsworth Elementary School, Ellsworth USD 327; Roosevelt Elementary School, Hays USD 489; Mahaffie Elementary School, Olathe USD 233; Sabetha Elementary School, Prairie Hills USD 113.

The Blue Ribbon program recognizes public and private elementary, middle and high schools in one of two performance categories: Exemplary High Performing and Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing.

Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools are among the state’s highest performing schools in closing achievement gaps between a school’s subgroups and all students.

In the high-performing category, schools are recognized for being among the state’s highest-performing schools as measured by state assessments or nationally normed tests.

All Kansas schools were recognized in the Exemplary High Performing Schools category.

Now in its 39^th year, the National Blue Ribbon Schools Program has bestowed about 10,000 awards to more than 9,000 schools, with some schools winning multiple awards.

The U.S. Department of Education invites National Blue Ribbon School nominations from the top education official in all states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, the Department of Defense Education Activity and the Bureau of Indian Education. The Council for American Private Education (CAPE) nominates private schools. Up to 420 public and private schools may be nominated each year.

Photographs and brief descriptions of the 2021 National Blue Ribbon Schools are available at https://nationalblueribbonschools.ed.gov/awardwinners/.